Reviving a Community

Discussion in 'Managing Your Online Community' started by Nick, May 5, 2009.

  1. Nick

    Nick Regular Member

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    What are your tips for reviving a community that seems to have great potential? Perhaps reviving isn't the best word, because I'm referring to this forum. It never really completely took off, but I'm eager to get things going.

    Any tips or suggestions are very welcome. Anybody interested in helping with the site in any way is also welcome to shoot me a PM. ;)
     
  2. Cerberus

    Cerberus Admin Talk Staff

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    Well I dont know how you can revive it other than a link building campaign and advertising. It's really hard to start sites sometimes and even harder to bring them back to life. You usually need a team of people to post content and get it going again. And you need some hook to get people. I am having the same problem with a couple of my ideas. I have tons of content but no people :(
     
  3. Bundy

    Bundy Admin Talk Staff

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    I'm having the same problem on my site...it used to be really busy but had to close for a short time and it just killed it. :(

    The only way to do it is like Cerberus said, you need a bunch of people posting to bring it back to life. :(
     
  4. Ashley

    Ashley Regular Member

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    My forum is having a hard time taking off at the moment as well, but I like to go to other advertising forums and make use of their services, and a lot of the services that most advertising forums offer are awesome! Like post exchanges, packages, that kind of thing.
     
  5. Cerberus

    Cerberus Admin Talk Staff

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    Seems like your site has a little life injected into it. Just keep up the good work and what you are doing and I am sure it will get rolling. I can say this though, you have more members than more than a couple sites I visit. Maybe try sending them all a nice come back email. But looks like you are off to a good start
     
  6. Ashley

    Ashley Regular Member

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    Thanks! Unfortunately, so many of these members are former package team members from FA, so they were only there to do a job, which is to fill a package we had requested. We got at least one member to remain active, so that's a start!
     
  7. 3Phase

    3Phase Champion

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    I agree you have a very good start. If things continue to build as they are now I think you will continue to build not just membership, but a forum of real value. :)

    Especially in early days you don't just want members, you want the right members. For this forum numbers aren't so important - you'll have to trust that. I'd suggest sending a very well-worded email of invitation to the management of any forum you can find that seems to be well-run and technically proficient. Even if you have to register for a few to surf deeper. Keeping in mind that if 10% of the people you contact actually become members that's probably not bad.

    I haven't yet read your response to the goals question I posted in your other thread. I am not sure if you are wanting to monetize this forum. But I'd suggest that for this forum, and for providers of the technical goods and services of most advertising interest to your membership, the number of members is not what counts. It's who they are. From a business perspective (my offline background,) for commercial purposes it's better to have fewer more focused people and advertisers than lots that are ignoring each other.

    Carry on Nick, you're doing well, really. :)
     
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  8. Nick

    Nick Regular Member

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    Thank you for your feedback.

    I like your idea of visiting forums and sending a message to the management team. I will wait until this site becomes a bit more active, as many will just turn up the offer if the site doesn't seem to be worth their time.

    As for monetization, it is not within my priorities at this point. It is certainly a possibility for the future but I'd rather focus on the community rather than things like monetization. Currently we have minimal advertisements on the blog and none on the forum. We always do and will offer advertisement space to advertisers, but it's not something I'm going to dedicate much energy to.
     
  9. 3Phase

    3Phase Champion

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    I think you are wise to time the approach to prospective members to when the site will be attractive to them.

    I think, when you are ready, advertising of things specifically of interest to members (not random commercials) would be a good thing. Advertising is an informational service as well as a commercial one.

    If you ever decide to take subscriptions I'd suggest offering the option to use paypal to auto-resubscribe. That avoids taking on one more task or thing to remember once a year. :)

    The hobby forum I manage now was free for 2 years. During that time it built a solid core of members, many are still members and think it is next to air in importance in their lives. Fwiw their strong feelings of affection are due less to my management than to what they have brought to it from the beginning. :)

    I hope this forum is successful for you ... I'm getting a lot out of it already. :cool:
     
  10. Nick

    Nick Regular Member

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    I am so glad to hear that you are getting so much out of the site already. What has been going on so far is really only a hint of what we intend to become and offer. We hope you will refer us to fellow administrators throughout other webmaster-like forums and even to your moderators, too.

    Paid Subscriptions certainly are easy to setup and set aside. I just haven't yet had the time to plan what perks and benefits paid subscriptions would offer. I'll add this to my ever-growing to-do list. :p
     
  11. 50calray

    50calray Grand Master

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    Ditto,

    I would look into some type of Yahoo and or Google Adword PPC campaign. Then maybe try a small contest handing out prizes. The forum link section is a great idea also...just refrain from porn and free Viagra listings. And don't forget about Twitter, Facebook, and Myspace. Just create a user group for your forum(s). Oh and don't enter into a tight nich area like me :lol:
     
  12. Nick

    Nick Regular Member

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    Entering a PPC campaign certainly is a good idea but I'd like to get some sort of income flowing in first. More importantly, the site needs to become more established in terms of activity before I'll advertise extensively, because the quickest turn-off for visitors is a site that isn't active and worth their membership.

    A contest is a great idea and we actually have a great contest idea in the works with a great prize and it'll certainly boost activity. At the rate we've started off so far, the contest may come sooner rather than later. ;)
     
  13. 3Phase

    3Phase Champion

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    Let them discuss politics. You'll be flooded. :D

    I think a very few of your peeps have been by my forum because they think they can engage in wild political discussions there. No kidding. (Hubbys mostly.) Management had to remind them "this is a board of primarily middle-aged women devoted to model horses - are you sure you want to be here ??? "
    :lol: :lol: :lol:

    (they've all left - they didn't know a plastic from a resin :spin: )
     
  14. Bundy

    Bundy Admin Talk Staff

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    I checked the board...I think yesterday night...and there has been 245 posts since then!! I think you're doing something right!!! :)
     
  15. lordtopcat

    lordtopcat Adept

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    I think new blood can help revive a forum. For example, an administrator who hasn't seen the site before, a new moderating team etc. New Blood really can be the making of a community, bringing in new content, new ideas and new techniques. Once the old members know that the site is running again, there is a dedicated team of staff, they're posting, they should start migrating back one by one.

    Although I don't really think that there is a set formula for reviving a community.
     
  16. Chris

    Chris Regular Member

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    I would have to agree with you. It all depends on the community (i.e. the subject, the amount of activity, etc).
     
  17. 50calray

    50calray Grand Master

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    Middle age women and horses...whats not to like about that site :D
    Ya, I can't count how many forums don't allow poltical discussion. You know the saying don't talk about: Sex, Politics, and Religion...well that first rule has probably been thrown in the trash by now.

    Anyhow, building a political section was one of the first things I did. It's something I love ranting about and it's a very popular subject among firearm owners these days as you can imagine.

    ps, I used to injection mold hard to find plastic car parts. So I know a little about resin ;)
     
  18. Nick

    Nick Regular Member

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    LOL I think you can say that again! :lol:

    I am ecstatic with the results we have had so far. It's been what, four days? :jacks:

    However, I'm not taking it for granted. Things can slow down faster than they picked up so I will be goin' full speed for quite a while, until I feel the community has officially taken off.
     
  19. Tyler

    Tyler The Badministrator

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    Agreed.
     
  20. John

    John Regular Member

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    Reviving a community can be very hard but I think it is possible you just have to work hard and give new stuff to the users. And with stuff i mean features and other fun things to do on your forum.
     

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